This blog is mostly devoted to discussing educational policy issues and politics in Utah. This is meant to be a place to gather my research and thoughts into detailed explanations that hopefully add clarity to the discussion of public education. Many of the issues are multi-faceted and need to be examined thoroughly. Thus, some posts will be boring long. Come here looking for what I now understand. I will re-organize and readdress issues as I learn more.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Part 5 preview -- The Legislative Fiscal Analyst comes clean

I haven't even begin to talk about how ALL private schoolers get vouchers as the program deceptively implements over 13 years. The Impartial Fiscal Analysis of HB 148 that appears in the official voting guide estimates they will cost $71 million a year once they all qualify. Various legislators have disputed that figure from their own office.http://le.utah.gov/%7E2007/bills/hbillenr/hb0148.pdf

But most haven't seen the even more damning fiscal analysis of HB 174. Remember this amendment bill passes along with HB 148 if the referendum passes. The analyst is even more blunt here:

The analyst actually says that even with the tuition help, this will become "essentially a subsidy for students who would have attended private school in any case." This is one more thing the legislators have seen and and disputed because of the number of applications for vouchers.